Saudi Arabia have qualified for the Asian Cup knockout stages in Qatar after they beat nine-man Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in their second Group F game on Sunday.
Two Kyrgyz players were sent off for reckless fouls as Mohamed Kanno and Faisal Al-Ghamdi found the net in each half at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan. Saudi Arabia sit top of the group with six points, two ahead of Thailand who drew 0-0 with Oman in Sunday’s earlier game.
Kyrgyzstan suffered a nightmare start to the game when Ayzar Akmatov saw red for a high boot on Sami Al-Naji. The defender was initially cautioned but received a straight red after VAR intervened and the referee watched a pitchside replay.
Roberto Mancini’s Saudi side took time to make their man advantage count but after spurning several opportunities, they finally made the breakthrough in the 35th minute when Kanno turned in a cross at the far post.
Kyrgyzstan’s night went from bad to worse when midfielder Kimi Merk was sent off in the 52nd minute for a reckless challenge on Hassan Al-Tambakti. As with Akmatov, Merk was initially booked after catching the defender on the ankle, but saw his yellow card upgraded after VAR intervention.
Down to nine men, Kyrgyzstan went into damage control and attempted to thwart wave after wave of Saudi attacks. The underdogs held on until the 84th minute, when Al-Ghamdi doubled the Saudi lead with a long-range strike that slipped through the gloves of goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotayev.
“The two red cards were correct. You have to play football and not kick [opponents],” Mancini said afterwards. “We missed many chances to score today. But if we score two goals every game then I’m happy. I’m happy with my players.”
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Saudi Arabia join the hosts, as well as Australia, Iran and Iraq, in securing their place in the last 16. Oman have one point and sit third in Group F, with Kyrgyzstan bottom after two defeats; the two sides face each other in their final group game. Monday’s Group A games feature Qatar against China, and Tajikistan facing Lebanon.